The Boxer Rebellion speak out on mental health and share ‘Love Yourself’ video for CALM

The Boxer Rebellion have spoken out to raise awareness of mental health, and shared their new video ‘Love Yourself’ in aid of CALM for International Men’s Day. See it first on NME below.

In support of CALM (The Campaign Against Living Miserably) and to mark the upcoming International Men’s Day on Sunday November 19, The Boxer Rebellion have unveiled the poignant video for the new single lifted from their upcoming album, Ghost Alive.

Opening up about his own struggles, frontman Nathan Nicholson told NME about how the track came to be after facing his own demons in the wake of the loss of his mother and unborn child:

“In this age of connectivity, for all its celebration and wonderment, it seems impossible to not be just as affected by the suffering of others, whether those in trouble are close to you or not. Every day our papers are filled with heart-breaking stories of loss due to natural causes, forced displacement, ill physical and/or mental health, or, indeed, victimisation at the hands of others. ‘Love Yourself’ is a song about all of these things – drawing primarily from my own experiences. My intention when I wrote the song was to try and deliver hope in the face of hopelessness, albeit during a moment of deep self-reflection.

“Like many of us, I, too, have suffered from loss on a deeply personal level, with no training manual on hand to help me navigate such challenging times. When I was 18 my mom passed away under very sudden and sad circumstances, and six years ago my wife and I were devastated to have lost our unborn child at just over 20 weeks. More recently, back home in Tennessee, my father died quite unexpectedly, leaving a void in my life that is still painfully difficult to comprehend and come to terms with. Throughout all of these dark moments, I have travelled through a vast array of emotions – grief, blame, regret, anger, hopelessness, acceptance – never in any discernible order, and never predictably. Thankfully my wife and I have truly wonderful people in our lives who have helped us cope with these moments of deep despair, not least my wonderful band members in The Boxer Rebellion, with whom ‘Love Yourself’ was brought to life.

“All those I have lost during my formative years are people who have been a significant part of me. It’s something that I’ve had to come to terms with – anything from blaming myself for their demise, to simply missing their voices on the other end of a phone call. What makes this song strange is that it was written before my father’s passing and thus I have found a great deal of solace from words I had penned in the past.

“I’ve always enjoyed writing songs that are cathartic, especially when they are able, often accidentally, to provide some form of relief to others. ‘Love Yourself’, in particular, means a great deal to me because loving yourself, accepting your flaws and appreciating your best, doesn’t always come easy.

“It’s good to have a reminder”.

Bassist Adam Harrison continued: “During the writing of this record we had unforeseen events touch our lives, circumstances that prompt reflection and can cause suffering. These feelings seemed to channel the music into a cathartic space, a space we hope will resonate with those who listen and encourage those who need it to reach out to services like CALM in the knowledge that they are not alone.”

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Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, said: “As an organisation that has always worked closely with the music community, we’re very grateful and proud that The Boxer Rebellion have chosen to support CALM and spread the message that it’s okay to seek help when you’re going through a tough time.”